The Once And Future Superpower: How To Restore America's Economic, Energy And Environmental Security
Environmental protection and economic growth are at odds; America has no industrial policy now and does not need one; higher taxes are a necessity: Romm, a young physicist turned policy analyst now at the Rocky Mountain Institute, aims to utterly puncture these and other "myths." His blueprint, refreshingly free of dogma or received wisdom, is required reading for those who would think through afresh America's task beyond the Cold War. If his causal arrows seem to march only in one direction, thus raising suspicions that what seems too good to be true probably is, he challenges the reader to think why.
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Deep divisions at home about the nature of the United States' engagement with the world threaten to produce failed leadership abroad -- and possibly isolationism. To steady U.S. global leadership and restore consensus to U.S. foreign policy, U.S. commitments overseas must be scaled back to a more politically sustainable level.
Alaskan politicians have used every oil-price rise since 1973 to push for drilling beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But even putting environmental questions aside, refuge oil is unnecessary, insecure, economically risky, and a distraction from the real energy debate. Market solutions that enhance efficiency can provide secure, safe, and clean energy services at much lower cost.
Americans are increasingly frustrated with Pakistan's counterterrorism efforts, but the United States should resist the urge to threaten President Pervez Musharraf or demand a quick democratic transition. Getting Islamabad to play a more effective role in the war on terrorism will require that Washington strike a careful balance: pushing for political reform but without jeopardizing the military's core interests.
